ARTIST STATEMENT

Be it an everyday play thing in the playground or as tokens on a miniature wargaming table, toy soldiers have throughout the ages have held a sentimental place in the hearts of both adults and children alike.
Throughout history, warfare is synonymous with games military and political leaders play for power and control. The toy soldier albeit a plaything, has symbolic references which manifest the imagery of soldiers in real battle; an insignificant entity amidst the megalomania of war. Innumerable human sacrifices in battle amounts to mere loses in a casual game of chess.
Almost all the miniatures you see here are diligently researched from historical sources and handcrafted between scales of 1/35 to 1/16 (approx 50mm to 120mm). The intricate rendition of human expression and fine details not only demonstrates the level of craftsmanship but also serves as a reminder to the fragile nature of human life.
I represent no political bias though my miniature creations and my striving aim is to articulate humanity within the context of military history. Though much has been expressed through other mediums, I proudly choose this as mine. It is thus my pleasure that I present to you my weblog Perspectives in Miniature and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your visit.

Calvin Tan

CALVIN TAN'S BASIC GUIDE TO FIGURE PAINTING

This instructional DVD published by Model Art magazine was primarily developed for the beginner armour and diorama modeller in mind. The video presentation will feature a variety of easy to master techniques used to render a 1/35 scale plastic injected moulded figure.Topics include proper paint application techniques, choice of brushes as well as some little tricks for painting fine detail. It is fundamentally a showcase of some of my methods and techniques for painting military figures and I am certain it will prove beneficial for any modeller who wishes to improve on figure painting. It is currently available in both Japanese and English.

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

Almost two months since my return, I finally had time to pen my travel journal to the 56th Shizuoka Hobby Show. This was my second trip to Japan within a month after making the video recording for Model Art's instructional DVD on figure painting late last April; only this time I had the fine company of my old time modelling friend Bernard Cher of the M Workshop to participate as an exhibiting member of Team ASEAN.

Train ride from Narita to Nippori station

Sightseeing around Odaiba - on board the Japanese research ship the Sōya.

Joining up Young-Bok at Akihabara.

Dinner at an izakaya in Akihabara with Kauzo Kiuchi of Miniature Park.

On the road to Shizuoka.

A visit to Mikasa Park in Yokosuka en-route to Shizuoka.

Japanese Navy curry in Yokosuka

Meeting up with some members of Team Asean on our first night in Shizuoka.

Armor diorama modeller Takashima Hiroshi presenting his latest works at his club stand.

Armor modeller and wooden base maker Hiroyuki Takeuchi.

Sherman Crab flail by Hiroyuki Takeuchi

Hiroyuki Takeyuki, Shigehiro Yoshida and Masanori Sato (Toku)

1/48 scale British Ford V8 staff car by Masanori Sato (Toku)

A simple but effective diorama by Shigehiro Yoshida.

A small selection of fine armor modelling by Hideyuki Aoki.

Stug IV diorama with Alpine figures done by Uehara Naoyuki of the Crossroads model club is a fine example of simple things done well.

Takunari Goshima of Kiya Hobby

Possibly the highlight of the show for me; receiving an exclusive autograph copy of master diorama modeller Kazuya Yoshioka's second book on modelling dioramas - a very rare honor and privilege indeed!

Some shots of Kazuya Yoshioka's mesmerizing work. I had a great time viewing this master piece; making this well worth the trip to Shizuoka.

Group portrait of Team ASEAN on Saturday evening- unfortunately Pongsatorn and Loo were not in the picture when this picture was taken.

Saturday evening reception hosted by Tamiya for all exhibiting club members

A very young and talented armor modeller, Kim Byeong-Soo from Korea.

Byeong Soo's outstanding work; enough said....

I love this moment. An ecstatic Byeong-Soo getting an autograph from Fernando Vallejo of AK Interactive; his expression says it all.